Softube Model 84 (Juno 106)

[Super Piano Hater 64]

PS - Those two, yellowed, smoker keys though. Why, Softube, why!?

As for the 2 yellow keys, I kind of like it, because it's realistic and I can relate to it.

You can consider yourself lucky that I didn't design the GUI because I would have probably added a few cigarette burns on the keys. I used to put cigarettes down on the hardware 106 from time to time and sometimes they would burn the keys if I forgot about them for a moment and it would leave a brown burn mark on the keys which is a bit more noticeable than just a yellowed key.

I’m looking forward to a Model 81 with corners broken off the enclosure, scorch marks around the power supply jack, dried beer/vomit on half the buttons/keys, and wet blood splatters on the obligate yellow smiley face decal.

[anadroid]

It seems that most, if not all of us, can agree that the Model 84 is the best-sounding, and (if it matters) most accurate dedicated Juno emulation. It sounds amazing - no argument there. The interface is simple, and in spite of the simplicity of the architecture of the synth, it can generate a great variety of sounds. If you're doing Synthwave, or certain types of House, the Model 84 is brilliant. If you have any doubts about that, check out the last several minutes of the Jamiroquai guy's vid, where he's playing some familiar tunes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8UTEqBvNJQ

I'm not sure that there's a point in comparing Model 84 to other dedicated Juno emulations. The Model 84 is better. The question for me is, what does the Model 84 give you that Diva doesn't?

[Vortifex]

Edited

[chk071]

I'm not sure that there's a point in comparing Model 84 to other dedicated Juno emulations. The Model 84 is better. The question for me is, what does the Model 84 give you that Diva doesn't?

Interesting statement... so you say that Model 84 is better than other emulations, and at the same time ask what it gives you over a synth which doesn't even emulate the same synth, and which isn't even a 1:1 replica, but sort of a modular synth, which lets you put together parts of different synths (which, again, don't even include parts of the synth in discussion)?

[D-Fusion]

It seems that most, if not all of us, can agree that the Model 84 is the best-sounding, and (if it matters) most accurate dedicated Juno emulation. It sounds amazing - no argument there. The interface is simple, and in spite of the simplicity of the architecture of the synth, it can generate a great variety of sounds. If you're doing Synthwave, or certain types of House, the Model 84 is brilliant.

I'm not sure that there's a point in comparing Model 84 to other dedicated Juno emulations. The Model 84 is better. The question for me is, what does the Model 84 give you that Diva doesn't?

It gives you the Juno Chorus + the Juno Sound and Juno filter.
If you also own their Modular vst it also gives you the Modules.

[ramseysounds]

The question for me is, what does the Model 84 give you that Diva doesn't?

Diva isn't a Juno emulation, as far as I’m aware, so I don’t understand the relevance of the question?
Using your logic, you can compare Model 84 to any other synth.

[chk071]

Diva isn't a Juno emulation, as far as I’m aware

It has parts of the Juno-60, but not the Juno-106. And, as I wrote above, it's not really an emulation, rather a collection of modules from different synths, so, yeah, you're right. I don't see the relevance either. Especially when you say first that Model 84 beats any other emulations, and then ask the question what it would give you over a synth which isn't an emulation of the same synth, and, in a strict sense, no emulation of any particular synth at all.

[4damind]

So far I've spent many hours with this synthesizer (I've already posted the result in the thread) and my conclusion is:
The advantage is that the synth is really easy to program and therefore also interesting for non-sound designers. At the same time it's a competitor e.g. to the Arturia Jun-6V... which is not exactly cheap with about 200€, has more features due to the Arturia modulation matrix, but apparently is not necessarily the better emulation.
In the end, it's "only" a Juno 106 emulation and of course doesn't necessarily knock everyone's socks off. However, the demo runs for 20 days without restrictions, which is enough time to form your own opinion. Since it's not the others who produce the music for you, it's always the best idea to try it out yourself

[Mr Arkadin]

PS - Those two, yellowed, smoker keys though. Why, Softube, why!?

Yeah, I wonder if we'll see a selectable 'pristine' and 'aged' GUI in future? I hate the fingerprints too. I think the yellowed keys annoy me more because they're together; if they were apart for some reason I feel it would be less annoying.

[anadroid]

Diva isn't a Juno emulation, as far as I’m aware

It has parts of the Juno-60, but not the Juno-106. And, as I wrote above, it's not really an emulation, rather a collection of modules from different synths, so, yeah, you're right. I don't see the relevance either. Especially when you say first that Model 84 beats any other emulations, and then ask the question what it would give you over a synth which isn't an emulation of the same synth, and, in a strict sense, no emulation of any particular synth at all.

There's no contradiction in what I said. Don't think about the Model-84 in terms of what it emulates (seriously, who cares?). Think about it in terms of the sounds it generates and the needs that it serves. Diva gives you great flexibility, and based on my frequent use of Diva, and my experience demoing M-84, I get the impression that Diva can produce, or at least very closely approximate the same sounds as M-84. I've tried creating some of the same sounds in Diva and M-84, and the match was very close! Maybe Diva has just a slightly fuller, brighter sound, while M-84 is a bit more stylized, but I can't confirm that yet objectively; and if so, you can get close to an M-84 sound by slightly whittling away at the similar Diva sound, with some filtering or EQ.

So my question stands - what need does M-84 fulfill that's not already fulfilled by Diva?

[rasmusklump]

Has anyone else GUI issues if he uses more than 4 instances, where the GUI isn’t closed.
Ableton reacts very slow. If I disable OpenGL than i don’t have the Problem. I am using 3 monitors on win 10

I have to disable opengl on the Softube plugins otherwise they crash cubase on inserting while the song plays

[mi-os]

The question for me is, what does the Model 84 give you that Diva doesn't?

Diva isn't a Juno emulation, as far as I’m aware, so I don’t understand the relevance of the question?
Using your logic, you can compare Model 84 to any other synth.

I think it's relevant to some at least. I have DIVA and i'm asking myself exactly that question. Can i make typical juno-esque bass, arp and pads sounds with DIVA which are good enough? The missing chorus is obvious, but can be remedied by third party plugins. The modules are irrelevant for people who don't have Modular. I'm not an emulation purist, so it's a valid question i think for people like me. If model 84 would be dirt cheap i would propably just get it, but that's unfortunately not the case.

[Funkybot's Evil Twin]

Maybe Diva has just a slightly fuller, brighter sound, while M-84 is a bit more stylized, but I can't confirm that yet objectively; and if so, you can get close to an M-84 sound by slightly whittling away at the similar Diva sound, with some filtering or EQ.

So my question stands - what need does M-84 fulfill that's not already fulfilled by Diva?

You said it yourself...

"Maybe Diva has just a slightly fuller, brighter sound, while M-84 is a bit more stylized, but I can't confirm that yet objectively; and if so, you can get close to an M-84 sound by slightly whittling away at the similar Diva sound, with some filtering or EQ."

That!

Diva approximates a Juno with the right modules, but it's not as specifically a Juno 106 as Model 84 is. If "close enough is good enough" for you then you don't need Model 84. Others may think that the differences in sound are worth it. The other thing is the programming. You can do a lot more in Diva which makes it a bit slower to work with. This is far limited with a more hardware like programming experience.

But Model 84 has a very specific sound that's missing in the Diva Juno modules. The oscs into the filters, the gain staging, the amp interaction, the envelope timings, the chorus model...Diva wasn't designed to capture how all those nuianeces work together. It's a different animal all together.

[chk071]

So my question stands - what need does M-84 fulfill that's not already fulfilled by Diva?

It emulates the Juno-106.

[anadroid]

Diva approximates a Juno with the right modules, but it's not as specifically a Juno 106 as Model 84 is. If "close enough is good enough" for you then you don't need Model 84. Others may think that the differences in sound are worth it. The other thing is the programming. You can do a lot more in Diva which makes it a bit slower to work with. This is far limited with a more hardware like programming experience.

But Model 84 has a very specific sound that's missing in the Diva Juno modules. The oscs into the filters, the gain staging, the amp interaction, the envelope timings, the chorus model...Diva wasn't designed to capture how all those nuianeces work together. It's a different animal all together.

I agree with your assessment (though I can get sounds I want quickly with Diva because I'm just familiar with it by now, so I'm not sure that the simple workflow is that big a gain). As much as I like the M-84, the question for me is, does the stylized sound and slight productivity gain give me enough over say, Diva, UVI Juno emulations, Icarus, etc., which can all make very similar sounds, that I'm willing to pay a hundred bucks for it? I'm not sure. I need to tinker with the demo some more, and to try replacing sounds in my tracks with M-84 to see how it would fit my style.